I just received my contributor’s copies of the October/November issue of the Writer’s Chronicle. My interview with author, editor, and teacher Michael Steinberg appears in the issue. We worked long and hard on the interview, and I hope it will be a useful addition to the ongoing conversation about creative nonfiction as an evolving literary genre. A number of well-known writers and editors differ in their opinions about various aspects of the genre, and this piece sets forth Mike’s point of view.
If you are a subscriber and/or a member of AWP, your copy should be landing in your mailbox any day now.
Enjoy!
Cannot wait to read!!!
Read it today. It was personally helpful to me. Here’s why: The role of reflection in CNF — which has always been a little bit befuddling to me when it’s assumed to be a necessary convention — was described by Mike in a manner that shed new light for me. Here’s what I was hearing in the interview in this close to home issue for me: Yes, reflection is a necessary part of the creative process of writing a good piece of CNF, but doesn’t necessarily literally have to show itself directly in the body of the work. I have always leaned heavily toward using, whenever possilbe, in CNF pieces, key tools of drama (dialogue, tension), poetry (image, feeling), and ficton (narrative development), and cringe when folks speak about CNF necessarily being reflective. This puts the relationship of reflection and CNF in a new (and for me) positive light. Thanks for your role in the interview helping to bring this out.